by Matt Lubbers-Moore
Marshall Thornton, thank you for giving us a little of your time today, answering questions fans of the genre really want to know.
Q: Where do you live?
Marshall: I live in Northern Lower Michigan.
Q: Without getting too personal, can you share a little about your home life?
Marshall:I have a small house where I live with my 15-year-old Chiweenie, Louie.
Q: Writers rarely like to toot their own horns; seriously! What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?
Marshall: Right now, I’m proud of having completed the 18th book featuring Nick Nowak/Dom Reilly.
Q: What inspires and challenges you most in writing? And can you describe your writing process?
Marshall Thornton
Q: You’ve probably answered this question a hundred times, but please indulge our readers (and fellow writers): Do you fly by the seat of your pants when writing or plot out your storylines?
Marshall: I don’t have the patience to write an outline to completion. I begin them and then get excited and start writing. Outlines can be useful, though, when things go sideways or when you’re re-writing.
Q: How do you sustain serialized continuing characters?
Marshall: Years ago, my therapist said to me,“We’re not trying to change who you are, we’re trying to make you better at being who you are.” That’s not bad advice for continuing characters. You want them to be consistent, while at the same time leaving room for growth.
One thing that has always bothered me with mystery series is how often characters experience terrible things and then have no reaction in later books. In all my series, I strive to keep my characters responding emotionally to the things that have happened to them over time. That supports changes in their characters.
Q: Have you ever had to deal with homophobia when it comes to your books, and if so, what form has it taken?
Marshall: Last year, I was using Facebook advertising and mistakenly included ads on Messenger. That resulted in several homophobic responses. I have since avoided ads on Messenger and am currently avoiding Facebook ads completely.
Q: What got you into reading and writing gay mysteries?
Marshall: I read gay mysteries for about 20 years before I thought of writing one. In fact, I remember doing my astrological natal chart in the late 80s and reading about an aspect that said I would be a mystery writer. At the time, I thought that was silly. Around 2008 and 2009 I was looking around for a way to get my writing going and I found an outlet for short stories. That evolved into the Boystown books, and from that my other series.
Q: Who have your role models as an author been? And what books are currently on your reading list?
Marshall: At this age, I have to say my whole life has been full of role model authors—I’ve certainly been influenced by Joseph Hansen, Raymond Chandler, and Sue Grafton, but there have been many more. I recently read through the entire Slow Horses books by Mick Herron. I’m waiting for the new series Michael Connelly is starting. Honestly, I wish I had more time to read. It’s hard to keep up with the schedule I keep.
Q: Last two questions; can you share with us a little about your current release, and/or work in progress?
Marshall: On April 28, I’m releasing A Week Away, the fourth book in the Dom Reilly series. Dom bought his identity from a guy in Reno. As soon as I began to wonder what would happen if the real Dom Reilly’s son came looking for him, I knew I had to write it.
Q: And where can readers buy your books?
Marshall: Physical books can be found anywhere, and your bookstore or library can order many of my books. I’ve been diversifying my backlist and you can now get a number of my books anywhere. A large number remain exclusive to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Upcoming Queer Mysteries of April 2025
Faun by Trebor Healey
Out March 18, 2025, ReQueered Tales
This missed title from March is a re-release from publisher ReQueered Tales and is termed misadventure which places it at the edges of the mystery-thriller-suspense genre. Set in the Mexican-American community of East LA, Trebor Healey’s Faun is an urban fantasy, a new fairy tale about pagan earth spirit, lust and faith, Los Angeles, and history. As Gilberto Rubio enters puberty, he finds his body transforming, but not in the same way as his classmates. He is alarmed by the emergence of horn nubs, extreme hair growth on his legs, and the warping of his feet into hooves, to say nothing of how he’s making everyone around him horny. His Catholic mother fears for his eternal soul and falls under the sway of that most nefarious of fixers, the exorcist. Meanwhile online, Gilberto grows desperate and encounters an odd wise man who hints of satyrs and centaurs. And so begins the next phase of his journey of discovery and self-acceptance.
Academy of Unholy Boys by David Fitzpatrick
Out April 1, 2025, Running Wild Press
In the affluent, idyllic shoreline town of Gently, quiet Jay Souther, a rising sophomore at St. Andrew’s Catholic High School for Boys, is prepared for a simple summer of football camp where he’ll try out for varsity and make the team as a third-string punter. On the field, the 16-year-old is immediately enraptured by the charismatic and smooth-as-silk like senior Foster Gold and hulking disciple the Latino All-American for two years running, Bear Santos. Jay is rapidly caught up in the stimulating dynamic of the two older boys, the longed for sense of brotherhood eclipsing the toxicity of Foster’s lifestyle and rhetoric. As summer ends and the school year moves along, Jay finds himself without an anchor caught in a hedonistic spiral of Foster’s design. Foster and Bear’s influence overpowers Jay’s blooming friendship with fellow sophomore Basil Sous and senior Tuck Reis, despite their ability to see the dangerous path that Jay is obliviously walking. Basil and Tuck combine their efforts to rescue Jay from Foster’s hypnotic, nearly cult-like sway.
Waters of Destruction by Leslie Karst
Out April 1, 2025, Severn House
After a vacation of a lifetime in Hilo, Hawai‘i, retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have decided to move permanently to the beautiful – if storm-prone – Big Island. The couple are having fun furnishing their new house, exploring their new neighborhood and playing with their new little dog, Pua. But while they’ve made good friends with local restaurant manager Sachiko and her partner Isaac, they can’t help but feel a little lonely. So when Sachiko begs Val to fill in for a member of her bar team who’s gone AWOL, Val dusts off her cocktail shaker and happily agrees. It’s a great chance to meet more people – and learn the local gossip. Such as about Hank, the missing bartender, who vanished after a team-building retreat at a local beauty spot a week ago, and hasn’t been seen since. Until, that is, his body turns up at the bottom of the waterfall, and the police seem very interested in where Sachiko was at the time of his death.
Escape into the Night by Jay Leigh
Out April 7, 2025, Rainbow Brigade Books
Elias has always been loyal to President Adelaide, but now he’s facing her in a battle that could shatter their past and reshape the future. Once her closest ally, Elias is now running against her for the Democratic nomination. The stakes are higher than ever, and every decision could cost him everything—his career, his family, and the man he loves. But with Caleb, his husband and campaign manager, by his side—and their trusted group of friends backing them up—they’re ready to take on the most dangerous game of their lives. As the political landscape grows more treacherous, Elias and Caleb find themselves in a deadly tug-of-war between loyalty and survival. From shadowy right-wing conspirators to a manipulative puppet master pulling strings behind the scenes, the threats are relentless. And as their son Parker becomes a target, the personal stakes soar. With the campaign heating up and betrayal lurking around every corner, Elias and Caleb’s once-solid relationship begins to crack under pressure. The love that’s always held them together is now their greatest vulnerability—and they’ll need their circle of trusted friends to help them survive the storm. Together, they fight to protect not just their political future but their family and each other.
Evil All Along by Gregory Ashe
Out April 7, 2025, Hodgkin & Blount
It’s Dash’s second Halloween in Hastings Rock, and this year, he’s determined to have a normal spooky season—he’s going to hang out with his friends, hand out lots of candy, and seize every available opportunity for snuggles with a certain deputy. Fate, though, has other things in store. When Dash’s friend Keme is arrested for murder, Dash assumes it’s a misunderstanding—after all, this is Keme we’re talking about. But it turns out, not everyone in Hastings Rock trusts Keme. Or likes him. In fact, plenty of people are downright afraid of him, and for them, the arrest confirms what they’ve always suspected: that Keme is a seriously bad apple. And when Keme’s clothes turn up not far from the scene of the crime, covered in the victim’s blood, it’s the final piece of proof for the court of public opinion.
No Time for Duplicity by D. J. Ciccarello
Out April 8, 2025
Parker Grant, a young therapist in Atlanta, has built his life around control: a meticulously organized home, a carefully curated image, and a career dedicated to helping others untangle their chaos. But when an attractive client from couples therapy is killed in his own condo, Parker’s world begins to crumble. A mysterious package arrives at his office—a bloodied watch and incriminating photographs that pull Parker into a mind-bending web of deception. Manipulated by those he trusts and haunted by memories that may not be his own, Parker is thrust into a maze of lies, obsession, and betrayal. Each revelation pushes him closer to the edge of mania, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
Pride or Die by CL Montblanc
Out April 15, 2025, Wednesday Books
It’s kind of hard to graduate high school when you’re the prime suspect in an attempted murder. 17-year-old Eleanora Finkel just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her LGBTQ+ club meeting inconveniently coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat. In order to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club for future queer teens, they’ll have to track down the real culprit themselves. Unfortunately, Eleanora is far from a professional detective; she’s riddled with anxiety, annoyingly attracted to the case’s cute victim, and her trusty crochet hook feels insufficient for fighting off a killer. But if her chaotic friend group can’t sleuth their way out of an entire freaking murder mystery, they might just become the next targets.
The Gentleman and his Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
Out April 15, 2025, S&S/Saga Press
Lord Nicholas Monterris is trapped. The only heir to a declining dukedom, Nic is destined for a marriage of convenience. What he doesn’t expect is for his bride to be Lady Leaf Serral, daughter of his father’s hated rival. Tradition dictates the families are confined together while the marriage contract is crafted, which should be the worst part. Until Nic learns the Serrals’ head negotiator is master vowsmith Dashiell sa Vare—beautiful, perfect Dashiell sa Vare—an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten. Nic’s only defense is false smiles and too much wine. When a dead body turns up, tension within the castle thickens. The first death is brushed off as an unfortunate accident, but a second reveals something sinister is unfolding at Monterris Court. As accusations fly and long-buried secrets surface, Nic must work with his former lover and his future bride to uncover a devious mastermind before they claim another victim.
Summer Shadows by John Harris Dunning
Out April 22, 2025, Dark Horse Books
By day the Greek islands are all sand, sea and fun…but by night they’re the perfect hunting ground for vampires! Nick Landry is searching for his ex on the unspoiled island of Avraxos. Anthony was the love of his life, and without knowing why he left, Nick can’t move on. But Anthony isn’t the only one to disappear on Avraxos. Coast guard officer Alekos Kourkoulos is on the trail of another young man who disappeared there. Both men had fallen in with the glamorous set onboard a jet-black superyacht moored offshore before vanishing. As the mystery deepens, Nick and Alekos discover that the brighter the sunshine, the darker the shadows…
Buried Seeds by Veronica Gutierrez
Out April 22, 2025, Bella Books
Death doesn’t take a break, even after a pandemic. When PI Yolanda Ávila stumbles onto a bloody murder scene, she’s thrust into a race against time to save two innocent men: Gamaliel Campamoche, an undocumented immigrant facing deportation, and his employer Kinji Abe, a WWII American concentration camp survivor. The investigation pulls Yolanda and her diverse team into the dark corners of a changing city, where real estate sharks circle neighborhoods and activists harbor secrets of their own. As she peels back layers of deception, she discovers how greed and desperation can turn neighbors into enemies—and enemies into killers.
A Week Away by Marshall Thornton
Out April 28, 2025
“You’re my dad.” That’s the first thing teenager Cass Reilly says to Dom after crashing his housewarming party. The boy is not his son, but could throw Dom’s life into complete disarray by exposing his false identity. Cass agrees to let Dom be if he helps find the killer of the real Dom Reilly. He wants to kill him. That leads Dom and Cass to Reno and then to Detroit where they encounter Cass’s larcenous mother, his mob-connected family, and eventually the killer himself. Dom struggles to keep the kid from murdering anyone while trying to protect the life he loves.
How to Have a Killer Time in DC by Sam Lumley
Out April 29, 2025, Kensington
For 24-year-old Oliver Popp, autism is just another fact of life. As long as Oliver sticks to a comfortable itinerary planned well in advance, he gets by just fine as a staff writer for Offbeat Traveler magazine. But a curveball drops into Oliver’s budding career when his first feature assignment takes him to Washington, DC, to chronicle the latest tourism trends. His freelance project photographer is Ricky Warner, a gregarious and impulsively adorable shot of adrenaline. If the flirty gay photographer isn’t enough to unbalance shy Oliver at the get-go, there’s also an unsettling chance encounter with old acquaintance, Elise Perkins, and a congressional hearing that’s shaking up both the capitol and an entrepreneurial billionaire. The unexpected distractions soon collide—quite literally—when Elise is struck dead by a speeding car. Funny how she didn’t move and didn’t scream. She just stared it down like she knew it was coming. Forget the National Mall and Mt. Vernon Square. Oliver and Ricky are game for something much more interesting: solving a mystery and a murder.
The Case of the Tortured Souls by Travis E. Holley
Out April 29, 2025, TNT HOLLEY INC.
Ariel had recently started her dream job and was working up the nerve to propose to Carmen, the love of her life. And then her mentor and childhood hero winds up in a coma, she finds an abused child, and is now supposed to hunt down a vicious murderer with absolutely no experience or training in investigations. Can she stop the killer and unravel a twisted nest of secrets in time?
Other Releases:
Unconditionally by N. Slater out April 3
The Last Grift by Elle Keaton out April 10
Red Tide by Irma Venter out April 15
False Morality by Shelby Rhodes out April 19
Killing Me Softly by CF White out April 21
Murder under Contract by Alex Henry out April 24
The Heart of Winter by Eden West out April 25
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.
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